Sparking device



Oct. 19, 1948. v c. R. FLINT SPARKING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed uarch 22, 1945 i u i Oct. 19, 1948. c. R. FLINT srmxms DEVICE 2 Shoots-Shut 2 Filed larch 22, 1945 Patentecl Oct. 19, 1948 BPARKING DEVICE charm n. Flint, La Poi-is, mm, minimto The De Luxe Products Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Application March 22, 1945, Serial No. 684,097

1 This invention relates to a sparking device. Internal combustion engines consist of one or more cylinders which are individually fired when the fuel within them has been properly compressed. In the usual automotive engine the firingis done by means of a spark plug or other sparking device which is actuated by an intermittently actuated spark coil suitably timed and connected seriatim to the various plugs. In the Diesel engine the firing'is accomplished without a spark plug by the compression itself,

3 Claims. a (Cl. 128-148) I have now discovered that improved firing may I be obtained, either in the internal combustion engine or in the Diesel engine. This may be accomplished in the spark Ifired engine by energizing the sparkplug or other device with a high voltage low-amperage charge insui'llclent in quantity to cause firing. In the Diesel where there is value. Energization immediately prior to firing is most beneficial, but in some cases it may be desirable to energize all non-firing plugs or sparking devices in various cylinders of multicylinder engines simultaneously. 7

Various means for accomplishing this result are illustrated in the drawings, in which Fig. 1

is a diagrammatic view of one form of the device; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the condenser tube portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the lines 33 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a modified structure; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a distributor modified to permit operation of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, broken away, of a further modification; and Fig. 7 is a plan view ofa. modified distributor.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the multicylinder, two stage motor, having ylinders equipped with the usual inlet and exhaust valves and spark plugs are not shown. The invention operates best with the standard form of cylinder in which the spark'plug is in a small pocket laterally offset from the cylinder proper and within which pocket most of the compressed gases are forced at the time of firing.

plug i3.

2 The device comprises the usual rotor i0 located in the distributor II and energized by the custorharyspark coil, not shown. The rotor successively contacts the firing segments l2, each connected to one cylinder of the engine at the spark plugs i3.

Likewise connected to the rotor, preferably through a suitable adjustable spark gap ill, is a small metal rod H, which is mostly enclosed withina tube ll, suitably 01' glass or other insulator. The rod I may be spaced from the tube by insulating spacers it of rubber or the like. Spaced along the tube aremetal bands 20, spaced from eachother and each connected to one spark For example, band 20a is shown connected to spark plug "a, the second in line, and fourth in'firing order. I The rod may suitably be 1; inch in diameter, the tube inch internal, and /04 inch external diameter. The bands may be one inch wide, spaced one inch apart and of any suitable thickness. A few thousandths of an inch is sumcient. They are also sufilclently spaced at the ends from the rod H to avoid spark leakage.

In operation of this form of the device, the rod {In the form shown in Fig. 4 the structure of the rod l4, and the bands 2,0 is the same as in Figure 1, as is the connection of bands to the spark plugs. the spark coil, however, it is connected to the contact 25 of the intermittent sparking device 28,. which may be of the familiar type formerly employed in Ford cars. I to produce a charge like that of the spark coil but much more rapid. A suitable grounded spark gap should be included in the system.

In the device shown in Figure 5, the bar is eliminated, or replaced by a corresponding member 30 carried by the distributor itself. The

. member 30 comprises a wire 3i connected to the rotor l0 and branched on both sides to form a W-shape. The wire 3| is encased in an insulating (glass) tube 32 carried bythe distributor. It

Instead of connecting the bar to This device is adaptedeach of the other forms, is illustrated. In this form, the bar I4 is connected electrically to the screw 40 which has a depending wire or rod ll. The screw 49 is held in the union 4!, which may be of metal or plastic or other material. If plastic, or other insulating materialis used, a connection'is provided between the bar Ill and the screw 4|. Surrounding the wire I I, and depending from I, is a glass, or other insulating tube 3. This is connected at the bottom with the. nipple M, which in turn is open to the intake manifold, not shown. Mounted in the base of the tube, and extending through the nipple 44 is a wire 45, connected to the spark coil of the engine, or to a separate coil as shown either in Fig. 1 or a. Both connections of the glass tube are airtight. It is also preferred to' close the far endof the bar It with a cap 41.

In operating this form of the device, a variable spark gap is provided between wires 4| and 45,

the length of which may be altered by movement of the screw 40. The adjustment of this gap is made such that when the engine is operating under load the spark will not bridge the gap, whereas when the vacuum is high sparking will occur. This avoids possible backfiring under heavy throttle, but does not eliminate operation of the bar even when the spark is not bridging the gap, although the extent of static energization is much reduced.

In the form of device shown in Fig. 7, the rotor Ila is provided with an adjustable arm held in place by the set screws ll, about which it is slidably'mounted. The arm 10 is pointed ahead of the rotor in the direction of its movement and has the efi'ect of statically energizing the next succeeding segments 12 whenever the adjacent segment 12 is being energized. If desired the ar may extend to only one segment I2.

The form of device shown in Figure 4 is adaptable not only to single and multiple cylinderspark fli'ed engines, but may also be employed in Diesel type engines, whether single or multicylinder.

In a Diesel engine a conventional timing device such as is used in the automobile may be employed to produce the electrical field adjacent or even around the discharge nozzle within the combustion chamber. This may be done by providing an insulated electrode within the combustion chamher.

The foregoingdetailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and

no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. ,In a distributor, a member carried by the rotor, and having an electrically conductive arm in-closely spaced relationship to at least one of the distributor ignition points other than the point being contacted by the rotor, said member being electrically connected to the spark coil.

2. A distributor as set forth in claim 1, in which the member is in spaced relationship to all of i the distributor ignition points'except the point sparking device in each cylinder actuated by a being contacted by the rotori 3. In a multicylinder, spark-fired, internal combustion engine having an intake manifold normally under substantial vacuum, and having a spark coil, means for electrically energizing at least one sparking device by a separate electrical impulse insufllcient to fire the same prior to firing thereof, said means including a distributor elecof the engine:

CHARLES R. ELm'r.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 'Date 2,227,714 Holthouse et a1 Jan. '1, 1941 2,331,912 Holthouse, Jr. Oct. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Aug. 3, 1916 

